


Hearts Don't Break Around Here

by echoes_of_realities



Series: together we're unlimited [1]
Category: Wicked - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/F, Fluff, Gelphie
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-30
Updated: 2017-12-05
Packaged: 2019-01-26 01:19:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 14,053
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12545608
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/echoes_of_realities/pseuds/echoes_of_realities
Summary: Galinda is very quickly becoming addicted to the way Elphaba brightens every time Galinda speaks her mind, looking at her as if her opinions and thoughts are important. Elphaba is very quickly becoming addicted to the way Galinda doesn't hesitate over the prickly attitude or green skin, looking at her as if she is worthy of affection.Shiz is a long way from home, and with no one else who quite understands the green girl and the blonde sorceress the way the other does, it's so simple to cling to each other, even amid horrible headmistresses and Arjiki princes and midterms.A mix of book and musical verse AU of their days at dear old Shiz.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I just really wanted Shiz era Gelphie fluff, and I left my Wicked book at my mom’s place when I moved back to my dorm and I can’t get it right now, so this is some weird universe of both the musical and the book (which I’ve probably read about 12 times since I was 11 but is currently like 160km away) and some alternative universe of my own imagining. Basically an AU where I take aspects from the book and musical I like and completely ignore or change those I don't. Incredibly self-indulgent and hopefully not as confusing as it sounds.
> 
> I'm not entirely sure where I'm going with this but I have like 4000 more words of small parts already wrote so ???
> 
> The title is from _Hearts Don't Break Around Here_ by Ed Sheeran. Also definitely listen to _Checking My Pulse_ by Alix Olson because honestly that’s basically all I listened to while writing this chapter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just really wanted Shiz era Gelphie fluff, and I left my Wicked book at my mom’s place when I moved back to my dorm and I can’t get it right now, so this is some weird universe of both the musical and the book (which I’ve probably read about 12 times since I was 11 but is currently like 160km away) and some alternative universe of my own imagining. Basically an AU where I take aspects from the book and musical I like and completely ignore or change those I don't. Incredibly self-indulgent and hopefully not as confusing as it sounds.
> 
> I'm not entirely sure where I'm going with this but I have like 4000 more words of small parts already wrote so ???
> 
> The title is from "Hearts Don't Break Around Here" by Ed Sheeran.

 

_Your face crept into that space_

_Between my reflex and my resolve_

_Kind of like that crevice_

_You don't notice_

_'Til it takes down the damn wall._

"Checking My Pulse" — Alix Olson

 

* * *

 

To be completely honest, it’s quite awkward in the weeks following that night at the Oz Dust. Galinda would like to pretend that her and Elphaba became instantly best friends, but lately she’s been trying to stop lying to herself and finds that she can’t bring herself to lie about this. She supposes it makes sense, her and Elphaba had been so horrible to each other for so long that it is hard to put that all behind her (though it’s also remarkably easy to forget how mean they were to each other when it’s late at night and they’re laughing so hard they can’t breathe).

Galinda is _trying_ , and she thinks that Elphaba is too, or she hopes so. Sometimes it’s hard to tell with Elphaba, but at the same time Galinda finds that she can read the green girl remarkably easily. She quickly learns that, while Elphaba is bluntly honest about the world with no patience for social etiquette, she doesn’t mean half the things she says about other people.

It’s completely and utterly refreshing to Galinda.

It gets easier as the weeks go on and they warily learn about each other. And sometimes Elphaba gives her that same, almost shy, smile that she did when Galinda stepped up beside her at the Ozdust Ballroom, the lights glittering in Elphaba’s dark eyes like stars in the night sky, and Glinda’s entire world brightens.

It was something that Galinda had missed while living at Shiz, seeing the stars, though it’s something she never thought she would have. As bustling as the city is, and as much as Galinda loves the whole experience of being away from home, she finds that the lights from the city obscure the stars almost completely. Galinda had never realized how strongly she would ache with longing for the bright stars on a clear night in Frottica with the fresh breeze on her cheeks and the moonlight in her hair.

But when she saw the lights reflected in Elphaba’s dark eyes she felt, for a brief moment, like she was back at home sitting under the stars. 

Galinda shakes her head and comes back into the present, glancing up at where her roommate is curled up on her own bed, and hopes that Elphaba hadn’t seen her so lost in thought, and especially hopes that Elphaba can’t see the heat she feels high on her cheeks. Elphaba’s so lost in her book that Galinda supposes she should have known better than to think the green girl would be paying any attention to anything outside the dusty pages in her hands. Thunder rumbles in the distance and Galinda turns her gaze to the window. Clouds had been gathering at the edge of Shiz all day, slowly but steadily growing darker and heavier as the afternoon sun turned to evening dusk turned to the inky night. Galinda sighs and turns back to her sorcery book, frowning deeply at the words in front of her. With the energy of the gathering storm Galinda has been finding it harder and harder to concentrate all day, imagining how comfortable her bed would be instead of her desk chair.

“If you think any harder your head might just explode.” 

Galinda jumps at the low voice behind her, and she turns quickly in her chair to find Elphaba looking at the textbook over Galinda’s shoulder, holding a dark blue nightgown in her hands. She smells fresh, like the woods behind Galinda’s house in Frottica, faintly like pinewood and earth, having just returned from cleaning up in the bathroom. Galinda blinks and glances away from her roommate, she hadn’t even heard the green girl getting ready for bed. “Not that it wouldn’t be amusing,” Elphaba continues, a small smirk spreading across her face, “but I’d rather not be scrubbing your brains from the ceiling tonight.”

“Oh hush you,” Galinda sniffs, turning back to her textbook, trying, and failing, to concentrate on the words in front of her. Elphaba remains hovering behind her, distracting and insistent, clearing her throat occasionally even while Galinda continues to steadfastly ignore her. Eventually, after reading the same paragraph three times and still not retaining any of the information, Glinda sighs and closes the book. Elphaba snickers at her and leans past the blonde girl to blow out the lantern out on the desk. Galinda pouts up at the green girl as she brushes against her side, but Elphaba just rolls her eyes and stands back up.

“Come on, it’s bed time.”

Galinda huffs, to save face and all, but quickly stands and moves to her dresser to get a nightgown out because she is more than ready to fall onto her soft pillows.

“How was Horrible Morrible for you today?” Elphaba asks from across the room. Galinda quickly glances over her shoulder, pausing as she digs through her dresser, to see Elphaba is turned towards her own bed, just pulling her nightgown over her head, covering the sharp line of her spine and hiding the expanse of soft green skin. Galinda quickly turns back to her drawer before Elphaba can catch her and tries to ignore the flush to her cheeks and the hunger gnawing at her stomach (probably because she didn’t eat much today, possibly, most likely, she thinks). More than that, Galinda steadfastly tries to ignore why the belated thought of Fiyero is met with a small twinge of guilt. Galinda chooses not to linger on that thought though because, while she is trying to stop lying to herself, she’s not quite willing to face whatever makes guilt itch at her fingertips when Fiyero crosses her mind as somewhat of an afterthought.

It’s not that she doesn’t like him, she does, it’s just know she’s starting to realize that she doesn’t like him the way she wishes she did, or at least, the way she had wished she did. He’s simple and carefree and maybe just a little bit self-absorbed, and Galinda is starting to realize he’s not what she wants, not anymore. Maybe he is what the Galinda from before that night at the Ozdust wanted, an easygoing and handsome prince, but now she’s starting to wonder what exactly drew her to him in the first place. Galinda sighs a little and clenches her hands briefly. She’s starting to find herself dividing her life into before the Ozdust and after the Ozdust. It was the night her entire life started changed, a stark contrast to what she had promised Elphaba that night.

Galinda frowns, staring at the multiple nightgowns neatly folded in the drawer. _Easy_ , she finally decides. Fiyero is easy because he doesn’t expect anything of her. He’s like everyone else in her life, who continuously underestimates her and makes her unenthusiastic to put forth any effort when everything she does is going to be met with apathy anyways. He’s everything she _should_ want, a high society girl such as herself, but he’s everything _she_ , the Galinda who found her best friend somewhere she wasn’t expecting to, doesn’t want.

Galinda hears movement on the other side of the room and her frown deepens. Ever since the Ozdust Elphaba has been pushing Galinda for her thoughts, prying into her life, asking her honest opinion, and the way Elphaba’s face brightens every time Galinda answers is intoxicating. They get into long debates, staying up far later than they should, and Galinda is very quickly becoming addicted to someone actually looking at her as if her opinions and thoughts are important. It’s something she’s never had before, especially not with Pfannee or Shenshen or Milla. It’s what she imagines true friendship should be.

“Galinda?”

Galinda jumps for the second time that night, spinning around to see Elphaba looking at her in amusement and mild concern. “What?” she asks, wincing slightly when she hears how harsh her voice sounds. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to snap.”

Elphaba shrugs and crawls into her bed. “I asked about Morrible, but I believe you were a couple towns away.” Thunder rumbles deeply and Elphaba glares warily at the window, pulling the covers up to her chin with a huff.

Galinda frowns and thinks back to her sorcery seminar that morning. The past couple days Morrible had been separating the two girls, claiming something about Galinda’s inadequacy in all thinks magical was distracting Elphaba from her studies. Elphaba called bullshit, but Morrible was insistent, and so the two girls were taking lessons at different times now.

“She was Morrible,” Galinda finally answers, rubbing the silky fabric of her nightgown between two fingers, before tossing it onto her bed and reaching up to start undoing the pins holding her hair up and out of her face. Elphaba stares steadily at her, and just a month ago it would have unnerved Galinda; instead it warms her insides, like hot cocoa sliding down her throat, making her realize how much she actually craved _real_ attention, not the interest high society fakes. “She was testing me, trying to get me to do advanced magic today to prove myself,” Galinda continues, pulling the last pin from her hair and picking up her nightgown, pausing on the way to the bathroom to glance at her roommate. 

Elphaba remains silent but when Galinda catches her roommate’s brown eyes she finds them smouldering almost gold with poorly disguised displeasure in the flickering lantern light between their beds. “It’s not as bad as it sounds,” Galinda insists, continuing into the bathroom. She ignores the itch in the burnt tips of her fingers from her magic coming too fast and then sputtering out as Morrible forced her to try the complicated spell again and again and again.

“Oh I’m sure,” she hears Elphaba drawl from beyond the bathroom doorway, voice floating easily through the door Galinda left cracked open.

“You’re too suspicious,” Galinda calls back, even as the thought of Morrible’s pleasure in forcing Galinda to try things she knows Galinda will fail at sends an icy shiver up her spine. Galinda hears Elphaba snort, but her quick wit doesn’t have a sharp retort so Galinda quickly brushes out her curls.

Lightning flashes in other room and sends a burst of light across the bathroom, thunder following shortly after. Galinda splashes water on her face, scrubbing her makeup off and feeling a little bit more like herself rather than the painted exterior she always shows the world. She has been starting to find it harder and harder to paint the Galinda from before the Ozdust on in the mornings, and she is starting to find it harder and harder to pretend to be her. Spending time with Fiyero tires her, spending afternoons pretending to agree with Pfannee and Shenshen and Milla tires her, spending the days acting like she isn’t changing tires her, but perhaps most surprisingly of all, spending most of her time with Elphaba isn’t tiring at all.

Galinda can’t fight the small smile that spreads across her face, becoming friends with Elphaba was freeing and comfortable; Galinda isn’t afraid to be herself around the green girl because, while Elphaba teases her more than not, Galinda knows that her roommate would never genuinely mock Galinda for being herself. Spending time with Elphaba isn’t tiring at all, it is energizing and the best part of any day lately.

Galinda frowns at her reflection, before turning on the tap, hoping the sound of water will cover her fumbling as she sneaks a little bit of her roommate’s burn cream. The salve cools the itching in her fingertips almost instantly, and Galinda sighs in relief, shutting off the water and quickly changing into her nightgown. Lightning flashes across the bathroom again, followed almost instantaneously but a loud clap of thunder that sounds like it’s directly above Galinda’s head. As she blows out the lantern in the bathroom she blames the crackling energy in the air for her restlessness this evening, and blames her pensive self-reflection on that restlessness.

When Galinda emerges from the bathroom, Elphaba is already curled into the tight ball she sleeps in, even if her sharp limbs are bent into more angle than ball. Galinda crosses the room, double checking the lock on the door, and blowing the lantern on the nightstand between their beds out before crawling into her own bed. Elphaba is facing Galinda’s bed, but Galinda sprawls herself on her back and stares up at the ceiling. As excited as she was to get into bed not even a half an hour ago, Galinda finds herself sill wide awake and wired. The wind picks up, howling outside the dorm as if trying to blow it down. Galinda can hear Elphaba flinch, catching a shadow of movement out of the corner of her eye, the sound of sheets rustling as she resettles herself again.

“Why did you do it?” Galinda asks, suddenly brave in the darkness of their room. She hears Elphaba shift in her bed but she doesn’t answer. “Elphie?” Galinda finally asks, wondering if her roommate has already fallen asleep.

“You’re going to have to be far more specific after midnight. I can only read minds in the daylight,” Elphaba’s disembodied voice emerges from the darkness, her voice sharp. 

Galinda grins at the ceiling, knowing that the green girl isn’t really being harsh to her. “Why did you get me into Madame Morrible’s seminar, I mean?” she clarifies.

“Miss Galinda, it’s past midnight and we have to be up before seven, must we do this now?” Elphaba asks, a breathiness to her demand that’s only a little bit exasperated. But Galinda is nothing if not persistent, and she can handle a slightly exasperated Elphaba. A slightly exasperated Elphaba is just a little more cranky than a regular Elphaba, and Galinda knows all the right things to do now.

“Why yes, Miss Elphie,” Galinda responds sweetly. “It’s not like we’re going to sleep much with all the electricity in the air.”

“Electricity?” Elphaba sounds slightly more awake, though no less exasperated. Pre-Ozdust Galinda wouldn’t have known any better, but Post-Ozdust Galinda knows that the low tone to Elphaba’s voice is threaded through with just a hint of fondness.

“Yes, you know,” Galinda answers, extracting one hand from beneath her blanket to wave it vaguely in the air. “I always find myself restless when there’s a storm.” Elphaba snorts and Galinda grins into the darkness on the other side of the room. “Oh hush, you terrible thing.”

Lightning flashes across the room as the clouds open above them, rain pelting the window without restraint, Elphaba’s curled herself into, blankets making her seem more lump than girl. Galinda lets out a relieved sigh that’s obscured by the rumble of thunder, feeling the tension ebb out of her body as the rain douses the energy she’s been feeling all day.

“See,” Galinda smirks across the room in another flash of lightning, admiring how the lightning paints her roommate in brief flashes of new leaf green, “electricity.”

“Well storms always make me nervous not restless,” Elphaba snaps, voice only just quieter than the clap of thunder that follows her admission, and her jaw shuts with an audible click of her teeth. The next flash of lightning allows Galinda a brief glimpse of Elphaba’s embarrassed horror.

“Well that makes sense,” Galinda replies, needing that look to disappear from her roommate’s face with a desperation she doesn’t understand, “what with your whole allergy to water and everything.”

“Yeah,” Elphaba agrees warily. They’re both quiet while lightning fills their room with fleeting flashes of pale light and thunder rumbles overhead.

“You never answered my question,” Galinda finally says.

She can hear Elphaba throw her hands up and the soft thud of them hitting the mattress again, “Ugh,” she groans.

“Why did you get me into the seminar?” Galinda repeats with a small grin.

Elphaba groans again, but shifts so she’s facing Galinda. “Because you gave me that hat.”

Galinda is glad that a flash of lightning doesn’t come because she’s sure the guilt on her face would be visible even in that brief moment of light. “Because I gave you the hat,” Galinda repeats dumbly.

“What are you, my echo?” Elphaba growls, but she’s far too sleepy for it to come off as anything other than adorable. “Yes, the hat. It was the first time I’d gotten a gift.”

“The first—” Galinda starts, and she can sense that Elphaba is suddenly wide awake.

“Yes the first time someone’s given me a gift,” Elphaba snaps, and this time Galinda can tell she means the bite to her voice, pitched slightly higher than her normal gravelly voice.

“Oh Elphie, I didn’t mean it like that,” Galinda insists, propping herself up on an elbow to lean closer to her roommate’s bed, hovering partially over the space between their beds.

Lightning flashes again and illuminates a pout on Elphaba’s face that would be cute in any other circumstance. “Then how did you mean it?” Elphaba asks moodily after the thunder passes.

“I just— Elphie, no one’s given you a gift? Ever? Not even your parents?” Galinda asks before she loses her nerve.

“I had a wooden bird,” Elphaba finally admits, and Galinda is too afraid that Elphaba will stop talking so she remains quiet, barely breathing, “from my father, I think, but if it was a gift I was too young to remember.”

Galinda briefly wonders what it is about the night, with its dusky shadows and heavy air, that makes it so apt for sharing secrets and confessions. She settles back into her pillow and stares up at the ceiling. “That still doesn’t really answer my question.”

Elphaba’s voice is rushed when she responds, just a little bit testily, “Just because no one’s gotten me a gift before doesn’t mean I don’t know that you have to give one in return.”

Galinda turns her head to look at the lump of blankets that is her roommate, and even though Galinda knows she couldn’t possibly see it, she’s sure that Elphaba is blushing. It’s something in the way her voice slips just a little bit higher at the end, the breathy and angry way she started speaking, the rush to her words. Somehow Galinda just _knows_ that Elphaba’s blushing on the other side of the room and Oz damn it all, of course this was the one night when heavy with storm clouds hid the moonlight for Galinda to see the blush she’s certain is there.

Elphaba is blushing and Galinda is determined to make her do it again, sometime when she can actually see it.

“Well you don’t _have_ to return it,” Galinda teases.

Elphaba curls tighter into herself as a particularly loud clap of thunder seems to originate from directly above the roof. “Yeah, well, maybe I wanted to,” Elphaba challenges, and Galinda’s mouth suddenly tastes like ash.

“Well now I feel simply awful,” Galinda moans.

“Why?” Elphaba asks wryly. 

Galinda sighs and rolls onto her side so that she’s facing Elphaba again, the few feet between their bed seeming both too close and too far all at once. “Because I gave you that hat to be mean,” she finally admits quietly. Galinda’s not quite expecting the cackling laugh that emits from Elphaba, so amused it could almost be called giggles if it were anyone else; Galinda thinks it’s more than a little endearing.

Elphaba finally manages to control herself enough to look up at Galinda with a wide smile, and the next flash of lightning catching sharpened teeth in its light. “I know that,” Elphaba snorts around another round of laughter. 

“Wait, what?” Galinda demands, “How’d you know? Oh, I’m going to kill those girls.”

Galinda can practically _hear_ Elphaba roll her eyes. “As amusing as that would be, they didn’t tell me. I figured it out all on my lonesome when I showed up to the dance wearing it and everyone stared. Well,” she amends, more thoughtful than bitter, “stared more than usual.”

“Oh,” Galinda says, feeling smaller than she ever has.

“But,” Elphaba continues, and Galinda is once again _certain_ that her roommate is blushing, “then you made a fool of yourself in front of most of the school.”

“Hey!” Galinda protests on a surprised laugh. “Last time I do something nice for you.”

“Well it was your fault in the first place,” Elphaba teases, and there’s something soft in her voice that Galinda can’t identify for the life of her, but it’s something that she wants to hear again and again and again.

“Hmph,” Galinda responds.

“Strong argument, my sweet, very articulate,” Elphaba says, and there’s that soft thing again. Galinda’s curiosity is piqued enough that she squints her eyes at her roommate but can only just see the whites of her eyes above the blanket during a flash of lightning. Elphaba’s brows are relaxed and her eyes half-closed. Galinda wonders if maybe that soft thing is sleepiness. (As it is, both girls are too sleepy to realize the term of endearment Elphaba uses until the next day, when Galinda starts blushing furiously during mathematics and prays no one notices, and Elphaba thinks of it in the library and buries a flaming face into a book with a groan.)

“Thank you,” Galinda says. “Though you do look good in the hat.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah,” Galinda agrees, her smile taking on a teasing edge. “Really fits the whole wicked witch look you’ve got going on.”

Elphaba snorts and snuggles deeper into her blankets. “Well I try.”

Galinda rolls her eyes, pulling her own covers closer to her face, sleepiness finally starting to overtake her even as the storm howls outside their window. Elphaba even seems to have relaxed, her eyes no longer darting nervously to the windows, the lump of blankets no longer as stiff. 

Galinda lets out a yawn and lets her eyes close. “Fresh dreams, Elphie,” she mumbles.

Elphaba doesn’t respond, so Galinda assumes she’s already asleep and curls more comfortably into her blankets.

Elphaba was not, in fact, asleep, she is only almost asleep, and as she senses her roommate drifting off she whispers across the space between their beds, no more than a soft release of air.

“Fresh dreams, my sweet.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think I finally figured out where this is going, which is a series of connected one-shots covering the first one or two years at Shiz, and then a separate covering Defying Gravity and its aftermath to follow (which is already almost done and I am excited about). 
> 
> So some background on it being a book and musical verse story is that Fiyero does have a crush on Elphaba but it's more of a platonic crush than anything. Doctor Dillamond was only fired and not murdered (because that scene in the musical where he's at the palace and can't speak anymore is heartbreaking and amazing), Madame Morrible will still get the job as press secretary. Nessarose will (probably?) make an appearance later like the book, and Boq, Crope, and Tibbett will all make appearances as part of the Charmed Circle. Though Avaric, Pfannee, Shenshen, and Milla don't become friends with them because my copy of the book is still at my mom's and the only character traits I can remember is that Avaric's an ass and the other girls had almost no discernible personality besides being shallow. Anyways, I don't know if any of this will be covered, or if it is, it would probably be in a separate fic so who knows. Enjoy!

 

_"And now we are sitting in the window_

_And your forehead is red-hot_

_Touching my knee_

_And I am checking my pulse_

_Making sure it hasn’t quit on me"_

"Checking My Pulse"  — Alix Olson

 

* * *

 

The sound of the door slamming shut and a strangled scream startles Elphaba out of her book, and she looks up to see her tiny blonde roommate standing in front of the door, tense and fuming.

Elphaba raises her eyebrows, taking in the tightness in Galinda’s shoulders, the angry slant of her eyes, the scowl deep on her face, her fists clenched and crackling slightly with energy. Elphaba wants to turn back to her book but her roommate seems rather close to burning the room down, or at the very least rattle the furniture, and Elphaba decides it might be smart to calm Galinda down before it gets to that point. And preferably before the magic humming in the air does more than knock things off Galinda’s desk.

“What’s got you so wound up, my sweet?”

Galinda jumps and looks up at Elphaba, eyes blown wide in surprise. Elphaba bites back a laugh at the look and raises an eyebrow at her roommate. “I didn’t realize you were in here,” Galinda manages to stutter.

Elphaba runs her thumb over a page, and smirks at Galinda. “You don’t want me here when while you’re trying to destroy the room?”

“I— What?” Galinda asks, and her fists unclench, the energy in the room fading. Elphaba points at Galinda’s desk, the nearest piece of furniture to the blonde. Galinda turns and flushes as she takes in the disarray on her desk. Elphaba snickers and turns back to her book. “Oh hush you,” Galinda says primly, slightly embarrassed. “I forget, sometimes,” she murmurs, trailing off as she puts her desk back together. 

Elphaba tries to continue reading but finds that Galinda is distracting even when she’s not close to destroying the room. Elphaba bangs her head back against the wall and lets her eyes trail back up to Galinda. Galinda has finished fixing her desk and is now digging through her bag, pulling notebooks out and exchanging them for the ones she needs for her classes the next morning, but Elphaba can tell she’s still upset from the slope of her shoulders and the jerkiness to her movements. 

“Really, Galinda,” Elphaba says, and Galinda glances up with a small frown marring her pretty features. “What’s got you so,” Elphaba trails off, unable to find the word she’s looking for; instead she just gestures vaguely in Galinda’s direction.

Galinda sighs and straightens, pinching the bridge of her nose as her frustration fills her again. “It’s nothing, really,” she mutters.

Elphaba frowns. “Well, obviously it’s something.”

“No. Well, I mean _yes_ , something did happen, but it’s nothing, you know?”

Elphaba’s frown deepens. “Um. Not really.”

Galinda groans and walks across the room, throwing herself face down onto Elphaba’s bed, her head landing near Elphaba’s hip. Elphaba lifts a hand and hesitates for a long moment, before gently running her fingers through the blonde curls spread out beside her. Galinda hums in approval and buries her face further into the bedspread. Eventually she turns her face up to Elphaba. Elphaba extracts her hand and, unsure where to put it, settles it back in her own lap.

“It’s just Pfannee and all them being, well, being themselves I guess,” Galinda finally admits.

Elphaba’s fingers twitch, wanting to run through those golden curls again, but she ignores the urge. “What was it this time?”

Galinda opens her mouth and then closes it with a click of her teeth. “Nothing really,” she mumbles, not meeting Elphaba’s eyes. “Just the usual.”

Elphaba frowns. “Are you sure?”

“Yes.” Galinda’s eyes dart to hers and then away. “No. I don’t know.” She rolls onto her back and stares up at the ceiling. Elphaba shifts closer to the wall so Galinda has a little bit more room and is in less danger of falling off the bed. Galinda sighs deeply and then twists her neck so she can look at Elphaba’s face. “They were just mocking you again, and I,” Galinda pauses and her eyes drop away from Elphaba’s face, relaxing her neck so her face is once again turned away.

Elphaba smiles softly at Galinda. “You know I can handle that,” she says.

Galinda sits up abruptly and turns to kneel in front of Elphaba, her eyes unexpectedly fierce. “But you shouldn’t have to,” she insists.

Elphaba swallows, unable to look away from the intense blue eyes. “It’s really fine, Galinda,” Elphaba finally manages to murmur, “I’m used to it.”

Galinda frowns deeply, sitting back on her heels. “Still,” she says. 

Elphaba struggles to regain control of the situation, thrown off kilter by Galinda’s fierce protectiveness. “What did they say then?” she asks, trying to throw the conversation back to Galinda.

Galinda sighs and adjusts herself so she’s sitting cross-legged in front of Elphaba, elbows resting on her knees and chin propped up in her hands. “Mainly their usual disgust of you,” Galinda admits, and rolls her eyes when Elphaba leers at her, face twisting ridiculously. Galinda giggles a little and pushes Elphaba’s face away, but then the smile fades from her face. “And then they said—” Galinda starts, and then cuts herself off, briefly closing her eyes. When she opens them there’s something different there, and Elphaba knows that whatever she’s about to say wasn’t what she had originally intended. “And then they started bothering me for spending so much time with you and not enough with them.”

Elphaba frowns a little, her heart thudding oddly. “You don’t have to hang out with me so much then, I don’t mind.”

But Galinda is already shaking her head. “I prefer spending time with you,” she admits, and then flushes bright red. “You’re a lot more fun than they are,” she continues, ignoring her embarrassment.

“Fun?” Elphaba demands, mock incredulous, “Excuse you, I am deeply boring.” Galinda giggles again and the flush starts to fade from her cheeks. But the comment makes Elphaba wonder, because a lot of their time is spent studying in a comfortable, near silence, a vast difference from the stuff Galinda usually partakes in like shopping or gossiping or going on picnics by the canal. Though now that Elphaba’s thinking about it, she realizes Galinda hasn’t done any of those things in weeks.

As Elphaba’s thinking, she misses Galinda staring at her, biting her lip in consideration. “Can I do your hair?”

Elphaba blinks out of her thoughts and stares at Galinda. “I— You— What?”

Galinda’s teeth release her lip and she smiles shyly. “Can I do your hair?” she repeats.

“I,” Elphaba starts, brows narrowing in confusion, “I mean, I’m not going out anywhere tonight.”

“I know,” Galinda says with a small shrug, “I just want to play with it.” That light flush is coming back to her cheeks and Elphaba stares at it in distraction for a moment. “Elphie?” Galinda prompts, “Please?”

“I— Uh—” Elphaba stutters.

“It will help me calm down,” Galinda says with a pout. Elphaba tries to ignore it, but she knows that she’s already lost. “Please, Elphie,” Galinda whines.

Elphaba huffs a sigh that’s more for show than anything. “Oh alright, but don’t distract me.”

“Well we mustn’t distract you when there’s words to be read,” Galinda says, beaming. She slides off the bed and crosses the room to grab her brush off her dresser, skipping back over to Elphaba’s bed and bouncing onto it. She nudges Elphaba away from the wall and settles herself comfortably behind the green girl. Elphaba, unsure of where to put her hands or what to do, turns back to her book and tries to read but doesn’t absorb a word of it. 

“Relax,” Galinda murmurs, her voice so close to Elphaba’s ear that her breath ghosts across the shell of it. Elphaba almost jumps out of her skin, but resettles herself and tries to relax. Galinda’s knees brush the small of her back and Elphaba’s heart pounds loudly. “Elphie?” Galinda asks.

Elphaba swallows, her throat suddenly dry. “Yeah?” she rasps.

“Elphie, if you’re uncomfortable with this I don’t have to,” Galinda offers, and her warm voice soothes Elphaba’s nerves.

“No, it’s fine,” Elphaba says, maybe too quickly. She takes a breath. “I’m good.” She’s not quite sure how to articulate that she desperately wants to know what it feels like to have Galinda’s fingers sliding through her hair, but she doesn’t want anybody, not even Galinda herself, to know that.

“Okay,” Galinda murmurs, and then she runs her fingers gently through the long dark hair that had so fascinated Galinda even back at the beginning of the year. It was so beautiful despite being attached to someone she had hated so, which only made it more frustrating back then. Galinda smiles at the back of Elphaba’s bent head, marvelling at how much things have changed. 

Galinda doesn’t even end up using the brush. She admires the shine to the dark locks as it twists through her fingers, gently teasing knots out as she encountered them. Elphaba slowly seems to relax under Galinda’s attention. The tension eases from Elphaba’s bony shoulders, her breathing evens out, her eyes start to droop even as she reads, and eventually she sags further into Galinda, her back resting partially against Galinda and book falling onto the bed. Galinda is glad Elphaba can’t see her face from this angle, because she’s sure the flush she feels across her cheeks would be rather obvious.

“Why did you hate me at first?” Elphaba murmurs suddenly, immediately regretting her question when Galinda pauses in her ministrations, moving to kneel beside Elphaba so she can see her face. She does keep her fingers tangled in the long dark hair though, still gentle working through the knots, so Elphaba can’t complain too much.

“I imagine for much the same reason you hated me,” Galinda answers with a small smirk.

“I didn’t hate you because you were green,” Elphaba protests.

“Well neither did I.”

Elphaba gaps at her, but Galinda is still distracted by Elphaba’s hair. “But— What?” Elphaba manages to stutter.

“Honestly, Elphie,” Galinda says absently, still playing with the tips of Elphaba’s hair. “It’s not like it was the _green_ that was the issue, it was the sharp tongue and scathing personality.”

“I— It— What?” Elphaba stammers.

Galinda does look up then and, seeing the confused shock on Elphaba’s face, releases her roommate’s hair and moves to sit in front of her instead. “Elphie,” she says seriously, waiting until Elphaba is finally looking into her eyes, “I never hated you because you were green.” Elphaba opens her mouth to interrupt but Galinda takes the green girl’s hands, lacing their fingers together. “I disliked you because you were mean and bitter and rude, or you seemed to be.”

“I— But— I mean— I’m _green,_ ” Elphaba protests.

Galinda frowns at her, more than a little confused. “Well, you’re not wrong.” Elphaba continues to stare at her, jaw slack. “I’m surprised you never noticed before,” Galinda adds as an afterthought, teasingly. When Elphaba doesn’t respond Galinda tugs on their tangled hands. “I only teased you about the green because it was convenient and I was shallow.”

“You’re not shallow,” Elphaba protests weakly. Galinda gives her a look and Elphaba smiles sheepishly. “Alright, you’re not shallow _anymore_ ,” she concedes. Galinda giggles and twists her fingers in Elphaba’s, a little distracted by the contrast of colours.

“Galinda?”

“Hmm?”

“So if it wasn’t the green,” Elphaba trails off awkwardly.

Galinda finally looks up, sensing the insecurity in her roommate’s voice. “I already said it was your stellar personality,” she teases, shifting a little awkwardly.

“Was that all?” Elphaba asks and Galinda’s eyes dart away from her face. Galinda should have known, even back when they couldn’t stand Elphaba, the green girl could always see right through her, which was as shocking as it was frustrating because no one else ever had.

“No, I was,” Galinda starts immediately, and then pauses. She knows what the real reason is, but it’s harder to be admit it out loud. But a look into Elphaba’s dark eyes gives her a surge of courage and she gives Elphaba a small smile. Elphaba smiles back, a little confused, but she waits until Galinda is ready to speak.

“I was,” Galinda pauses, searching for the right words, “I was jealous,” she finally decides on, and continues before Elphaba can interrupt. “You were so confident despite being different, so unafraid of just being you and there I was,” she pauses, before amending herself, “ _am_ , terrified of what others think of me.” Galinda glances down, staring at the contrast of their fingers again. “I know that it wasn’t that you didn’t care, it’s just that you refused to be anybody but you.” Galinda looks back up and her breath catches at the captivated look in Elphaba’s eyes. “I admired that about you, and I was so insecure with myself that the only way I could deal with it was to take it out on you.” Galinda pauses and takes a deep breath. “And I’m sorry about that.”

Elphaba blinks rapidly but doesn’t look away from Galinda. “I’m sorry too,” she murmurs and then swallows quickly, eyes darting over Galinda’s face before settling back on her eyes. “I was jealous of you too.”

Galinda blinks, barely breathing. “You were?”

Elphaba’s face wavers for a second before splitting into a smirk, and just like, that the quiet moment is broken. “Well, I was just _green_ with envy.”

Galinda giggles and extracts a hand from where they’re still tangled with her roommate’s to swat at her, Elphaba just laughs. They grin at each other for long moment until it feels like Elphaba’s skin is too tight, burning and itching. She smiles nervously and then picks up her book, scooting back so she’s leaning against the wall with her legs outstretched, ankles hanging of the edge of the bed. She skims the pages to find where she left off and nearly jumps out of her skin for the second time that hour when Galinda’s head lands on her lap.

“Um, hello?” Elphaba says and she has to remind her heart to keep beating.

Galinda smiles innocently up at Elphaba. “What?”

“You’re on my lap.”

“You’re comfy.”

“I doubt that.”

Galinda doesn’t answer, just stretches out on the bed and leaves her head right where it is, closing her eyes with a content sigh, her earlier frustration all but forgotten. Elphaba stares at the spread of blonde curls across her lap and then turns her attention back to her book, trying to ignore how comfortable it is to have the blonde curled so close. She manages to read a couple more pages, but it takes far longer than usual because, of all things, the steady sound of Galinda breathing is far too distracting than it has any right to be. Elphaba keeps finding eyes drifting down to study the relaxed face of her roommate, occasionally counting the freckles sprinkled across her nose or watching the gentle part of her full lips, before snapping her own eyes back to her book and distractedly reading another couple sentences.

“I’ve been thinking about changing my name,” Galinda says suddenly, her voice quiet with a nervous sort of intensity. Elphaba’s eyes dart down to Galinda and then away just as quickly, inwardly freaking out about how to respond. Should she close her book and give Galinda her full attention? Act as if it’s no big deal? Flee the room and university and possibly the country and never come back? 

Elphaba takes a breath and glances down at the blonde head resting on her lap. Her face is twisted in regret, a blush high on her checks, eyes screwed shut and full lips parted slightly, and suddenly Elphaba knows exactly what to do. She doesn’t close her book completely, instead moves it to the side so Galinda has her attention but leaves it close enough to allow Galinda an out if she wants it. Elphaba drops her hand into Galinda’s hair and runs her fingers gently through the curls.

Galinda’s eyes pop open, the blue as shockingly bright as ever. “Yeah?” Elphaba finally murmurs, not dropping her gaze from Galinda. Galinda swallows and nods slowly. Elphaba senses that Galinda isn’t going to pull away from her now so she closes her book and tosses it onto the bed. Elphaba lightly works a knot out of the soft blonde hair, and the curl stretches straight before springing back into place. “Why?” she prompts gently.

Galinda’s eyes drop from hers, addressing the green collarbone instead of Elphaba’s face. “Well because of you.”

“Because of,” Elphaba breaks off for a moment, fingers stilling in blonde hair, trying to compose herself. “Because of me?”

Galinda nods, blue eyes meeting brown for the briefest of moments before darting back down to Elphaba’s collarbone. “Because of you,” she repeats, voice barely a whisper.

“Why?” Elphaba asks, still caught in shock.

Galinda swallows but doesn’t look away from her roommate’s sharp collarbone. “Well you’re so passionate about the Animals and I was so mean to Doctor Dillamond and now he’s been fired and Nikidik is a nightmare and I just—” Galinda takes a deep breath and squeezes her eyes shut for a brief moment. “I just— I don’t want to be Galinda anymore,” she finishes quietly.

Elphaba frowns at her. “What do you mean?”

Galinda shakes her head briefly and her eyes drop further down, landing on Elphaba’s stomach this time. “I just don’t want to be Galinda anymore. She’s vain and selfish and cruel and I’m— I mean I don’t want to be any of those things anymore,” she admits.

Elphaba pauses in playing with Galinda’s hair. “You’re not any of those things,” Elphaba insists, a little surprised at the sudden intensity she feels, “Not anymore, and not for a while.”

“But I _was_ ,” Galinda protests, her eyes darting up to Elphaba’s and catching there.

Elphaba hums and starts moving her fingers through blonde hair again. “Maybe so, but I think you were always how you are now, you just hid it. I think you’ve always been kind and smart and thoughtful and, you know, enthusiastic about architecture. But you just hid it behind that pretty painted exterior.”

Galinda shifts awkwardly, her gaze dropping away again, seemingly uncomfortable with this answer. “I don’t know about that,” she mumbles quietly.

“Of course you were,” Elphaba urges, tugging gently on the blonde curls. “You couldn’t have changed so easily unless those traits were already there. You just had to get used to letting go of that high society façade.”

Galinda shifts again, but doesn’t say anything. 

“You believe me, right?” Elphaba asks, longing to see those bright blue eyes again. Galinda sort of shrugs and Elphaba lets to subject go, wondering why she is so desperate for Galinda to see herself as Elphaba does.

Elphaba clears her throat and Galinda’s eyes are drawn to the sound despite herself, catching on brown again and holding. “You want to change your name,” Elphaba prompts, steering the conversation back towards the original subject. 

Galinda’s eyes clear and she gives Elphaba a brief smile of relief, before her face falls again. “I do, but I worry though,” Galinda trails off. 

Elphaba lets her be until the silence stretches out too long and Elphaba feels something itch under her skin. “What?” she murmurs.

“I worry what people think. I know that I shouldn’t,” Galinda continues before Elphaba can say anything, “I _know_ that I shouldn’t care what people think but I _do_ and I can’t stop. I can’t be you.”

“You don’t have to be me,” Elphaba says, slightly awed by the tiny blonde resting on her lap. “You shouldn’t _want_ to be me, you should just be you. Everyone loves you anyways.”

Galinda shakes her head but doesn’t say anything for a long moment, looking torn. “What if they all hate me for changing my name?” Galinda pauses for a brief moment, eyes darting to Elphaba’s face and back away just as quickly. “Well, more than they do for being friends with you.”

“It doesn’t matter what your name is, everyone loves you,” Elphaba protests.

“I don’t want _people_ to love me I want—” Galinda cuts herself off suddenly and screws her eyes shut again.

Elphaba finds swallowing difficult for a moment. “Fiyero?” she manages to ask.

But Galinda shakes her head in frustration, eyes still tightly closed. “No, I don’t really care what he thinks,” she says, and Elphaba tries to ignore the fact that her heart has stopped beating. “I— Well we aren’t dating anymore.”

“You and Fiyero broke up?” Elphaba manages to ask, and, somehow, she knows, deep, deep, deep down, that her heart isn’t racing due to this news about Fiyero.

She ignores this.

“Since when?” Elphaba continues.

Galinda smiles ruefully. “A couple days after the night at the Ozdust.”

“You— I mean— Wait _what_?” Elphaba stutters. “It’s been over a month? But you still spend time with him?”

Galinda chuckles. “Yeah, as friends.”

“ _Huh_?”

Galinda reaches up to poke at Elphaba’s stomach. “You know, friends. You may not have many but you at least have one.”

“Oh yeah?” Elphaba teases, mind still reeling.

“Of course!” Galinda says brightly. “Me!”

Elphaba frowns thoughtfully down at the blonde. “Huh, I guess so.”

“Hey,” Galinda laughs.

Elphaba smiles briefly, Galinda’s laughter is almost always contagious. “Why did you two— I mean,” Elphaba tries to ask.

Galinda, kind, thoughtful Galinda, takes pity on Elphaba. “Why did we break up?” she asks. Elphaba nods wordlessly. “It was pretty mutual,” Galinda admits with a small shrug. “I just, well I guess we both did, but I realized that he’s not what I wanted.”

“And you didn’t tell me?”

Galinda grins. “Well you didn’t ask,” she replies innocently.

Elphaba tugs gently on the curls still tangled around her fingers. “You have been spending too much time with me,” she teases, but her voice is soft with something she doesn’t want to think too hard about. They had been spending most of their time together, and whether they were walking to class or studying together or affectionately teasing each other or anything, really, Elphaba has never been as happy as when she is with the blonde.

“Were you upset about it?” Elphaba asks to stop that train of thought.

Galinda frowns thoughtfully. “Actually I wasn’t really. Just kind of relieved.”

“Relieved?” 

“Yeah.”

“Why?”

“I don’t,” Galinda starts and then frowns again. “I actually don’t know. I guess I just,” she trails off and shrugs. “Honestly I don’t know. I just was,” she shrugs again, “I don’t know.”

“Huh,” Elphaba says.

Galinda smiles at her. “Huh,” she parrots back.

Elphaba grins and lets her fingers continue combing through the golden curls. Galinda hums quietly in appreciation, her eyes sliding shut and face relaxing, and is silent for a long moment before she speaks again. “I’m glad we did though,” she admits, her eyes still closed. “We’re much better as friends honestly. We’re more comfortable now.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. We get along better now that we aren’t trying to force something that wasn’t there.”

Elphaba hesitates, wondering how to respond. “That’s good,” she settles on lamely. 

Galinda doesn’t notice her hesitation and hums again in contentment.

Elphaba studies Galinda’s face for a long moment, her lips twisting up in an unconscious smile as Galinda’s nose crinkles when a piece of hair brushes against her cheek. “So what shall I call you not-Galinda?” Elphaba asks.

Galinda smiles up at Elphaba, relief and warmth and affection bright on her face. “I think, just Glinda,” she says.

“Glinda,” Elphaba tries, and Galinda — _Glinda_ — practically _beams_ at her. Elphaba finds that the new name feels safe in her mouth, a little bit like a home she’s never had. “Glinda,” she repeats, and Glinda smiles again, softer this time. Elphaba returns the smile and allows her hand to move from the blonde curls to brush her knuckles gently against Glinda’s forehead. 

“Glinda,” she says again, “I like it.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My finals start in three weeks and I have nine assignments and two presentations before that and I am currently dying but, you know, it’s fine.
> 
> **Edit November 29:** So I've been going through a very serious family emergency lately and between trying to stay caught up on school work and dealing with that I've had no free time. I'm not abandoning this work, but I am taking an indefinite break from it (and possibly other writing) probably up until I'm done this semester. Writing is usually something that calms me down but lately it's just been adding more stress than I need. 
> 
> Basically, my kid sister is facing a very possible diagnosis of bone cancer and, honestly, I just haven't been in the right frame of mind to write, let alone write anything happy, which was the intention of this fic. This is being put on hold definitely until mid-December, and possibly even later until we figure out what is going on. I don't know when I'll have the motivation to write again because my mind hasn't really been right since I found out she has a tumour eating at her tibia, and it might take days or weeks or months, but I will eventually finish this.

**** _And it’s a big old world we live in now_

_And how mighty it can be_

_And all this time I pictured you standing next to me_

_So we could go find things we’ve never seen_

“Just One Day” — Mighty Oaks

 

* * *

 

Finals are starting in two weeks and Glinda’s only freaking out a little bit.

“You’re going to do fine,” Elphaba soothes from the other side of the room, not looking up from her book.

“Easy for you to say Miss Smarty-Pants. You already know everything,” Glinda snips, slouching on her bed. She’s surrounded by her textbooks and papers and notebooks, her hair escaping its hair tie and her hands buried in her sweater. 

“Well I wouldn’t say I know _every_ thing. Many things, perhaps.”

A muffled scream forces Elphaba to finally glance up at her roommate, who’s face is buried in a pillow. “Glinda, you’re being dramatic,” she chides gently.

Glinda lowers her pillow to shoot Elphaba a withering glare. “Says the most dramatic person I know.”

Elphaba chuckles and tosses her book onto her bed, standing and crossing the room. “Don’t tell anyone, you’ll ruin my reputation.”

Glinda groans and throws herself back on her bed, narrowly missing slamming her head against the headboard. “I’m going to fail all my exams and they’re going to kick me out and I’ll have to go back to Frottica as the town disappointment.”

Elphaba comes to a stop beside Glinda’s bed, folding her arms and looking down at her sprawled roommate in amused exasperation. “We’ve been over this, you’ll do fine.” Glinda makes a noncommittal noise and stares blankly at the ceiling. “Come on, Glinda, you know your stuff. And besides, you still have two weeks to study.”

Glinda sighs and sits up. “I know, it’s just overwhelming,” she says, pulling one of her notebooks to her and absently flipping through the pages of neat writing.

“Is that—” Elphaba blinks again, “Is that my sweater?”

“Hmm?” Glinda hums distractedly. Elphaba reaches over and plucks at the thick grey wool falling off Glinda’s shoulder. Glinda glances down and blushes. “Um, yeah?”

“Ohh-kay?”

Glinda rubs the edge of the sleeve between two fingers. “It’s, uh, it’s really warm and I was really cold.”

Elphaba blinks and fights the blush she feels rising. “Okay?” she repeats.

Glinda doesn’t meet her eyes, instead staring fiercely at the notebook in front of her. “And I, uh, I was having a minor panic earlier while you were in class and the sweater kinda smells like you,” she admits nervously. “And since you weren’t here to calm me down I just, kinda, threw it on?”

Elphaba swallows and stares at Glinda, and then swallows again. There’s something warm in her stomach, and Elphaba feels a little bit of pride that she’s actually able to calm Glinda, and she feels more than a little bit of pride that Glinda seems to find her as calming as Elphaba finds Glinda.

“Okay,” she finally says.

Glinda’s eyes dart up to hers and then away again. “You’re not— You’re not mad?”

“Why would I be mad?”

Glinda chuckles, but her shoulders remain tense. “Because I took your sweater without asking?”

Elphaba looks away from Glinda, still fighting a blush. “It’s fine, really,” she says. 

There’s a long, slightly awkward, silent moment before Glinda giggles and the tension breaks. “I don’t know why I was so worried. You’ve lent it to me before.”

Elphaba leans forward and mock-scowls at her, fighting and mostly failing to stop the smile tugging at her lips. “Well I am the awful witch who’s enchanted the beautiful and popular Galinda Upland, forcing her to pretend to be my friend and change her name. Who knows what else I could do to you.”

Glinda giggles harder and pushes Elphaba’s face away. “Oh, so that’s what they’re going with now?” she asks between her laughter. “Last I heard they were still stuck on you taking my heart and keeping it locked up, making me your slave.”

Elphaba straightens and grins at Glinda. “Ooh, I haven’t actually heard that one. Creative idea, but I’m pretty sure you’d be dead if I took your heart out.”

Glinda’s face twists in amused disgust. “Plus, think about how messy that would be.”

“Mmm,” Elphaba agrees, “we’d definitely need a deep cleaning after that.”

“And the smell.”

“Where would I even keep a heart?”

“In a shoebox under your bed?”

“Well, that would be gross.”

“No less gross than the moldy books you keep there now.”

Elphaba chokes on a loud cackle, the sound almost surprised out of her. Glinda beams up at her roommate, doubled over and laughing so hard she’s almost out of breath. Glinda laughs with her, until the smile slips off her face, realizing exactly what she would miss the most at Shiz if she fails her coming exams.

“I want to come back,” Glinda whispers suddenly, and somehow Elphaba, so closely attuned to her roommate’s emotions, hears her and her laughter breaks off. She sits on the edge of the bed, facing Glinda, her sharp features painted in attentive earnestness. “I don’t want to fail and never see you again.”

Elphaba’s breath catches but Glinda doesn’t look at her. “You will,” she rasps, and then clears her throat. “You will see me again because you’re going to do amazing in your exams. And even after we graduate you’ll still see me. I’ll make sure of that.”

Glinda finally looks up at Elphaba, hope glimmering in her bright eyes. “Really?” she murmurs hopefully.

Elphaba wants to look away, because this is getting a little too emotional and it’s usually this moment that she runs away, but something about Glinda’s eyes makes her brave. Elphaba takes a deep breath and gives Glinda a tiny, wavering smile. “Of course,” she says quietly, “You’re my—” she chokes on the word, but glances at Glinda’s eyes again and gathers her courage even as she prepares for rejection. “You’re my best friend. And even if it’s only been a couple months I can’t imagine my life without you.”

Glinda’s smile is soft and wide and beautiful. “You’re my best friend too, Elphie,” she admits just as quietly, her eyes sparkling. “And I don’t ever want to go back to a life without you by my side."

Elphaba lets out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding and smiles at Glinda, their eyes caught together. Her entire body feels light, a bit like she’s floating, and the smile resolutely refuses to fall off her face. After a long moment Elphaba clears her throat and stands, the smile across her face a little smaller but still bright and genuine. “Alright that’s enough of that,” Elphaba says, holding out a hand. “Come on, we’re going out to get some food and fresh air and you’re going to forget about all of your work for a couple hours.”

Glinda looks up at Elphaba, who’s still smiling softly at her. Glinda’s heart pounds loudly for a moment and then her mind stills and she smiles brightly back at her roommate and best friend. “Okay,” she says simply, and she takes Elphaba’s hand and lets the green girl pull her off the bed.

Elphaba tosses Glinda the coat hanging by the door, pulling her own on and slipping her feet into her worn boots. Glinda wrinkles her nose at the partially crumbling leather as she reties her curls into a less messy ponytail. “Don’t your feet get cold in those old things?”

Elphaba shrugs and wraps her scarf tightly around her neck. “No more than usual.”

Glinda frowns but lets Elphaba pull her out of the room. The halls are mostly empty, and the people lingering there only manage to mutter a few words of gossip behind their hands before Elphaba’s glare sends them scuttling into rooms. Glinda swats at Elphaba’s arm, still clinging to one of her hands, and tries to scowl at her roommate, but instead grins up at her. “Elphie, you’re scaring them,” she scolds lightly.

Elphaba cackles and just continues to pull Glinda down the hall and out the dorm’s doors into the chilly air. The sunlight is weak as it struggles to penetrate the cold winter, but makes the snow glitter and warms the two roommates as they turn their faces towards it.

“Where do you want to eat?” Elphaba asks, patting her pockets to double check her wallet is still there.

Glinda shrugs and bounces along beside Elphaba, the fresh air doing wonders to clear her mind of her earlier anxiety. “Oh I don’t know. The Peach and Kidneys?”

Elphaba’s nose scrunches up and Glinda smiles at the adorable look. “If we run into the boys there we’ll never get back to our room tonight.”

Glinda tugs on Elphaba’s hands teasingly. “What’s so bad about that?” she asks innocently.

“Besides seeing how many different shades of red Boq can go between Crope and Tibbett and you?” Elphaba asks drolly. “We have class in the morning.”

Glinda pouts. “Well you’re no fun, Miss Elphaba.”

“I do so try, Miss Glinda.”

Glinda sticks her tongue out at Elphaba but still curls closer to the tall girl when a cold gust of wind whips around them. “What about that café? The one with those delicious torta? The cinnamon and apple and caramel ones?”

Elphaba’s nose crinkles again. “Too sweet,” she declares.

Glinda rolls her eyes. “Well then just get a piece of that bitter lemon one you so enjoy.”

“It’s not bitter, just tart.”

“There’s a difference?”

“Well bitter is more unsweetened while tart is more, oh I don’t know, zesty I suppose.”

“ _Zesty_?”

“Yes, _zesty_.”

“You could have just said ‘sour’ like a normal person, Miss Walking-Thesaurus.”

“I resent the implication that—” 

“Miss Elphaba! Miss Elphaba!” 

Elphaba and Glinda look around, spotting Fiyero running at them, his blue diamonds glittering brightly against his dark skin in the weak winter sun. He reaches them, slightly out of breath and grinning. “Hey, Galinda,” he says and Glinda winces. 

Elphaba nudges her encouragingly and Glinda takes a deep breath. “Hi, Fiyero. It’s, uh, it’s Glinda now.”

Fiyero blinks, but if he’s surprised he doesn’t show it. “Glinda?” he tries, and then grins blindingly, “I like it. It suits you.”

Glinda lets out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding, relief flooding her body. Elphaba smiles proudly at her and tugs gently on their still intertwined hands, and Glinda beams back up at her, wrapping her free hand around Elphaba’s arm.

Elphaba had encouraged her to tell Boq and Crope and Tibbett a couple days after she had decided to change her name, and they had all easily accepted it and demanded a new celebration for a new person, even though she wasn’t as close to the three boys as Elphaba was yet. The night had made her feel weightless, like she truly had made the right decision, and Elphaba’s warm eyes on her had helped ease her fear. It was the night that her and the boys had truly started to bond, leading to Glinda genuinely being able to call them her friends. But there was something about Fiyero that always made her think of Galinda, that made her think of the part of her life she still desperately regrets. And she had not yet mustered the courage to tell him of her name change in the past two weeks, not alone that is.

Fiyero looks between the two roommates and smiles at them, both a little shocked and truly delighted at how far they had come since he first met the two. “Well, _Glinda_ ,” he says and Glinda turns her bright smile on him, “do you mind if I borrow Miss Elphaba here for a tick tok?”

“Hmm.” Glinda tips her head and seems to consider the question deeply. Elphaba rolls her eyes and hides a smile at her roommate by burying her chin in her scarf. “I suppose so. But bring her back in one piece, it’s cold out here and she’s rather warm.”

Elphaba cackles a surprised laugh. “Oh,” she says and grins at Glinda, “and the truth comes out.”

Glinda nudges Elphaba’s arm with her shoulder and grins up at Elphaba. “It’s true, the only reason I keep you around is to block the wind.”

Elphaba shakes her head and glances at Fiyero, who looks, perhaps, a little left out. “And the truth comes out,” she says, addressing Fiyero and tugging on Glinda’s hand. 

Glinda’s grin widens as she looks at Fiyero. “Don’t be too long, or I’ll come searching for warmth,” she warns jokingly.

Fiyero smiles nervously at her and Glinda finally releases Elphaba’s hand and arm and Fiyero leads the green girl slightly off the path, out of earshot of Glinda, his nerves rising with each step he takes.

“So?” Elphaba asks dryly when the silent moment between them stretches on. 

“Oh!” Fiyero says, blushing deeply. “I just, uh, well.”

Elphaba raises an eyebrow and waits while he stutters through an answer. “Master Fiyero,” she interrupts, “Spit it out. I won’t bite. Well, not much anyways.”

Fiyero nods, and then nods again. “Right. Um.” He swallows and takes a deep breath. “I was wondering if you would go out with me sometime.”

Elphaba frowns at him. “We already hang out sometimes.”

“No!” he exclaims. He clears his throat nervously when Elphaba’s frown deepens. “I, uh, I mean, without Gali— _Glinda_. Just us. Like a date.”

Elphaba freezes, her frown slipping as her mouth opens in shock. “I— _What_?”

Fiyero chuckles, the sound tense and strained. “I want to take you on a date, Miss Elphaba.”

Elphaba stares at him, her heart pounding loudly in her ears. She should be happy, she thinks, she should be thrilled because this was what she’s been wishing for right? Instead dread falls like a ball of lead in her stomach and she isn’t quite sure how to feel.

_This is what I wanted, isn’t it?_ Elphaba closes her mouth as she studies Fiyero. _So than why doesn’t the thought of dating him make me happy?_

It’s at that exact moment that Elphaba realizes that she was never jealous of _Glinda_ , she was jealous of _Fiyero_.

With this realization, Elphaba takes a half-step away from the prince, gawking at him in shock. “No,” she murmurs, and her heart stops pounding so loud, the dread in her stomach lifting.

“I— Wait what?” he asks, taking his own half-step away from her.

“No,” Elphaba says, finding her voice and straightening her spine. Maybe in another life, in different circumstances, in an altered universe, in some other time, maybe she would want him, but Elphaba is quickly realizing that as long as Glinda is around in this world Elphaba couldn’t possibly want anyone else, she doesn’t want anyone else. “I said no, I don’t like you like that.”

“You don’t— But before you were— And then—” Fiyero cuts himself off.

Elphaba softens, just a little bit, at his confusion. She searches for the right words to say and catches sight of Glinda over Fiyero’s shoulder, pretending that she’s not staring intently at the green girl and the prince. She’s also failing to hide the worry on her face, the pain pulling at her eyes, and Glinda is so easy to read that Elphaba wonders how in Oz it’s possible no one’s ever noticed before. But then again, Elphaba supposes, no one has ever been able to see through her own uncaring façade until Glinda had gently poked her way through the walls Elphaba had constructed around her heart what feels like eons ago. Elphaba frowns thoughtfully as Glinda drops her gaze and scuffs the tip one boot against the pavement. It wasn’t really like Glinda had forced her way into Elphaba’s life and heart, she had been insistent but respectful, and Elphaba wonders if she will ever be able to pinpoint the exact moment she opened the gate and let Glinda skip straight through those walls.

Glinda glances up and smiles shyly at Elphaba, no more than a twitching of her lips really. Elphaba smiles back at her, small and genuine, and Glinda brightens and her smile wides until it’s splitting her face. Elphaba frowns in thought and glances at Fiyero, who’s looking lost and just a little relieved. 

She supposes it doesn’t really matter if she can pinpoint that moment, not in the long scheme of things, all that matters is that it happened.

“I don’t like you like that, Master Fiyero,” Elphaba finally repeats, “But then again, I don’t think you ever really did either.”

“I did I just—” Fiyero starts and then sighs, he stares at Elphaba, studying her face intently. Then he drops his gaze for a brief moment, his face clearing. “You’re right,” he whispers. He clears his throat. “You’re right,” he repeats louder. “I guess I don’t like you like that.” He pauses to think, searching for the right word. He smiles a little self-deprecatingly and rubs a thumb over a faded scar on the back of his other hand. “I guess I’m so used to dating girls just because that I never really stopped to have actually be friends with them.”

“What about Glinda?” Elphaba asks.

Fiyero’s eyes go cloudy in thought, almost turning inwards as he thinks. “Well we started out on a date the first day I arrived,” he reminds her, “And I never took the time to get to know her before the Ozdust. Once we spent more time together I realized I didn’t want a girlfriend, I just wanted a friend.”

Elphaba can’t think of anything to say, so she just gives a small nod and a impassive “Oh.”

Fiyero nods, his attention still focused inwards. “I guess that’s what I felt for you too. Like a— Like a platonic crush?”

Elphaba nods again. “Oh?” she tries.

Fiyero nods, more certain this time, as he comes back out of himself. “Yeah. I’ve never liked anyone as just a friend before, didn’t really have time between all the schools I’ve been to, and I guess I didn’t really know what it was like.”

“Oh.”

“I was just fascinated that there was someone else here who didn’t care what anyone thought—” Fiyero pauses and thinks back to that night at the Ozdust, thinks of the concern in Galinda’s—for she was still Galinda back then—eyes and the shame flushing her face, thinks of the gentle smile she gave the green girl when she walked up and started dancing with her, and of the even gentler one that Elphaba gave back; and then he thinks of what Galinda had murmured to him under her breath, _Of course she cares,_ so quietly that Fiyero is still not sure if he was ever supposed to hear. Fiyero meets Elphaba’s eyes. “Or who pretends she doesn’t.”

Elphaba’s eyes seem to sharpen, and her lips pull against her teeth in a half snarl. “What makes you say that?”

Fiyero thinks of everything he knows of the green girl, and how he wouldn’t, or couldn’t, have seen it without a certain blonde girl. “Glinda,” he answers honestly.

Elphaba sucks a harsh breath in and deflates, eyes wandering back to Glinda, who is still valiantly trying to stare down the pathway and away from the duo. The sunlight catches in her hair seeming to make her almost sparkle even as Glinda’s face twists in a scowl. Elphaba follows Glinda’s line of sight and watches warily as Pfannee, Shenshen, and Milla approach, no doubt to taunt their former friend. The three girls stop a short distance from Glinda and laugh together, sneering at Glinda. Glinda squares her shoulders and lifts her chin and though what ever she retorts is lost to the wind Elphaba smirks a little as Shenshen recoils while Milla glances uncertainly at Pfannee, who, for her part, seems to be experimenting with how red she can make her face go, before they all hurry off in the direction they came.

Glinda turns back to Elphaba with a soft sort of satisfied smile, and Elphaba practically beams at her, barely noticing Fiyero beside her.

Fiyero follows Elphaba’s bright smile, his eyes landing on the tiny blonde, and then glancing back at the soft look on the green girl’s face. It’s definitely not a look he had ever seen her direct at him, and it’s not a look he ever saw Glinda give him either; in fact, Fiyero’s not quite sure he’s ever seen that look on another person. His shoulders relax as tension drains from him, and he smiles at Elphaba. “Thanks for letting me dump that all on you,” he says. “And sorry for making it all awkward.”

Elphaba smiles, tiny and genuine. “It’s okay, thanks for letting me outright reject you.”

Fiyero chuckles. “I must be cursed to forever try and date all my friends before I truly befriend them.”

“Really?” Elphaba asks with a raised brow.

Fiyero rubs at the scar on his hand again. “Well, after everything with Glinda when I arrived and we tried forcing something that wasn’t there,” he pauses and smiles softly, “Well, I’m glad her and I realized it wasn’t right for us and got a good friend out of it instead.” He meets Elphaba’s eyes. “For us too.”

Elphaba shifts her weight and buries her hands in her pockets. “Me too,” she says simply.

Fiyero’s smile widens. “I suppose I should let you go before Glinda comes looking for your warmth.”

Elphaba rolls her eyes fondly. “Of course, besides we were just heading to find something to eat. I would invite you with us, but Glinda’s been—” Elphaba cuts herself off abruptly, eyeing Fiyero even though he’s also Glinda’s friend. She can’t be certain how close the two are, and she still feels pride fill her when she remembers that Glinda confides in her rather than anyone else. “I mean to say,” she amends, “we should give ourselves a couple days before we start the exhausting befriending process,” she hesitates for a brief moment before her face relaxes, “Fiyero.”

Fiyero smiles, the meaning of the lack of honorific not lost on him. “It’s okay, Elphaba,” Fiyero says, casting a significant look at Glinda, delighting in watching the skin on Elphaba’s cheeks blossoms darker green and she glares at Fiyero, “I understand.”

Elphaba’s eyes clear and drift briefly to Glinda before darting back to Fiyero. “Thank you,” she says sincerely, and then her face eases towards teasing, “You’re actually not as self-absorbed and shallow as everyone thinks you are, or as stupid as I thought you were.”

Fiyero lets out a loud laugh as Elphaba grins and walks up the small hill to her roommate, who clings to the green girl’s arm as they start towards the town off campus. Glinda manages to wave brightly at him from around the tall girl’s frame, before swatting at Elphaba’s stomach as she no doubt murmurs something less than nice in the blonde’s ear. It’s intimate, the way Elphaba and Glinda are, Fiyero realizes and wonders, with no small amount of embarrassment, how he hasn’t seen it before.

Fiyero turns away from them and heads towards the literature building, still chuckling quietly to himself. He has the feeling this was the start of a beautiful friendship.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As an aside, I really like the idea of Fiyero starting out vaguely like the musical as self-absorbed and as he becomes friends with Glinda and Elphaba he drops his act and eases towards his more humble book counterpart and starts focusing on his education so he can better lead his tribe after he graduates. I also really like the idea of Fiyero loving too fast both into love and into friendship, which is why in the musical he becomes so attached to Elphaba after only a couple interactions and why he still stays with Glinda after Elphaba disappears.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case you didn't see the update on the last chapter, I’ve been dealing with a pretty serious family emergency lately in which my little sister has been facing a possible bone cancer diagnosis and I kinda took a mental break from everything except that; however that hasn’t been really healthy for me either. I just finished my last day of classes and then I have exams and two assignments I got extensions on do finish, and in attempts to regain some normalcy amidst all this, I finished this up and really want to post it today to try and get back into my regular schedule. Regular updating is either going to happen once my semester is done, or it's going to be really irregular depending on whatever diagnosis we get.
> 
> Also, I made some minor edits to the last couple chapters. Nothing major, just some typos and adjusting some minor details now that I have a clearer idea of where this is going!

_‘Cause this heavy heart, oh how it's yearned_

_‘Cause I’ve been alone far too long_

_When are you coming home, my love?_

“Winds of Change” — Vance Joy

 

* * *

 

“I’m done, done, done!”

Elphaba glances up from her friendly argument with Boq to watch Glinda bounce into the cafe in a swirl of snow and cold air, quickly hiding a fond smile with a sip of her hot chocolate. Boq looks up too and grins, waving Glinda over. “How’d it go?” he demands.

Glinda beams at him as she takes her jacket off to hang on the chair beside Elphaba. “Pretty good!” she chirps. “I only blanked on, like, two questions?” She sits down, burying deep into her scarf and sweater. “But I think I remembered the answers right at the end. And I even had a little time to go over it!”

Boq grins at her. “That’s great, Glinda!”

Glinda smiles and reaches over to pull a piece of croissant off Elphaba’s plate, ignoring Elphaba’s complaints as she pops the warm, buttery pastry into her mouth, humming in contentment as it melts on her tongue. Elphaba rolls her eyes at Glinda, who just scoots her chair closer to the green girl so she can reach the croissant better. “I’m actually pretty happy with it,” Glinda continues, “so I either did really well, or I did absolutely awful and didn’t realize it.”

“You did fine,” Elphaba soothes easily. 

Glinda rolls her eyes but smiles at her roommate. “You always say that.”

“And I’m always right.”

“Sure you are,” Boq pipes in, “Which is why you dropped our argument as soon as Glinda walked in.”

Elphaba flushes. “Shut up, Boq,” she mutters.

Glinda grins and nudges Elphaba with her shoulder. “We still love you even when you’re wrong.” This just causes Elphaba’s cheeks to darken even more and her to huff out a breath as she buries her face in her arms on the table. Glinda and Boq grin at each other over her bent head.

Elphaba mutters incoherently into her elbow, so Glinda eats the rest of Elphaba’s croissant and takes a sip of her hot chocolate, rubbing a hand up and down Elphaba’s back soothingly. Boq hides his smile in his tea as he watches the two roommates. Elphaba would never admit it but she stopped eating her croissant half an hour ago so she could save the rest for Glinda; and Glinda would never admit it but Boq knows that Elphaba’s praise means more to her than any of her test results ever would.

Elphaba finally raises her head and, upon seeing that Glinda has already eaten the rest of her croissant, shoots Glinda a dirty look lacking any true heat. “You know it wouldn’t hurt you to buy your own food and drink just once,” Elphaba snips.

Glinda catches and holds Elphaba’s eyes as she unblinkingly lifts Elphaba’s mug to her lips and takes a loud slurp of hot chocolate, sighing happily as she places the mug back in front of Elphaba. “And where would be the fun in that?”

Elphaba closes protective hands around her mug. “In my pocket, that’s where it will be fun,” she mutters.

Glinda ignores her sulking and turns to Boq. “Are you done all your exams yet?”

Now it’s Boq’s turn to sulk. “No,” he groans, slouching in his chair, “I got the bad end of scheduling this year and still have two tests. On the same day.”

Glinda makes a sound of sympathy. “What one is first?”

“History in the morning and mathematics in the afternoon.”

Glinda’s face twists. “That sounds awful.”

“Tough luck, Mister Second Year,” Elphaba says, sipping her hot chocolate before setting it back on the table.

“Ha ha,” Boq replies dryly. “Next year you’ll be the one complaining.”

“Ah,” Elphaba agrees, “But you’ll be a third year by then and will still be complaining more than I.”

“Oh I don’t know about that,” Glinda says, her face a picture of innocence as she looks at Elphaba, her bright blue eyes sparkling and cheeks still pink from the winter wind, “I have yet to meet anyone who complains like you do, Miss Elphie.”

Elphaba shoots Glinda a dry look. “Likewise, Miss Glinda.” Glinda grins and Elphaba, momentarily distracted by her smile, doesn’t notice Glinda’s hand creeping across the table until it’s too late. “Oh come on,” Elphaba complains as Glinda lifts the mug to her lips, “At this rate I’ll go dehydrated.”

“So dramatic,” Glinda tuts with a smirk as she sets the mug back down. “If it gets to that point I’ll buy you a new one.”

Elphaba rolls her eyes. “My hero,” she replies drolly.

Glinda grins brightly before licking her lips to catch the chocolate still sticking to her upper lip. Elphaba crinkles her nose at Glinda, who sticks her tongue out at her green roommate. Boq chuckles watching the two girls before glancing at his watch, eliciting a sigh deep enough to attract a few curious looks from the next table. Flushing deeply, he starts packing away his notebooks. “You have to go already?” Glinda asks, leaning back in her chair and tucking her cold hands into the sleeves of her sweater. 

“Yeah, my shift starts at the library soon.” 

“Are you staying over break?”

Boq frowns deeply. “Yeah.”

Glinda doesn’t meet Boq’s eyes, the pink flush to her cheeks darkening. “We can spend the holidays together then,” she mumbles.

“You’re not going home?” Boq asks carefully.

Glinda shakes her head and slouches a little in her chair but doesn’t say anything else. Elphaba’s hand finds her thigh under the table and traces soothing patterns over the soft fabric. Glinda’s flush darkens but she eventually manages a smile up at Boq. “We can spend Lurlinemas together and complain about all our professors and absentee roommates.” Elphaba grins at Glinda and then glances up at Boq. 

Boq blinks and quickly shakes his head, searching for something to take the attention off Glinda. “Yeah, the farm’s not doing too well this year and we don’t have enough money for me to go back.”

Elphaba makes a noise of sympathy. “I wish that was true for me. The Eminency has _too_ much money and I can’t not go home.”

“It can’t be that bad,” Boq says, pulling his coat on and pouting. “I’d give anything to go home for Lurlinemas.”

“You can have my train ticket. Just make sure to paint yourself green, grow about a foot taller, and show up at Colwen Grounds to care for my sister and father day and night.”

Boq frowns at Elphaba, trying to decide if she’s joking or not. “Yeah,” he finally decides on, “I’ll leave that as Plan C. See you two later.”

“The offer still stands.”

“Bye, Boq.”

Elphaba glances down at her empty mug, before sighing deeply. Glinda rolls her eyes, coming back into herself again, and stands with only minor grumbling. Elphaba grins up at her and opens her mouth, but Glinda presses her hand over it. “Make sure they make it with milk,” she says, removing her hand with a smile, “I know, Elphie.” 

Elphaba’s smirk melts into a soft smile. “Thanks.”

Glinda shakes her head fondly as she heads for the counter. “As if I’d ever hear the end of it.”

Elphaba elects not to remind her that she wouldn’t hear of it at all, because Elphaba would be dead, partly because she knows Glinda knows that and partly because she’s already half way across the cafe and it’s too much work. Instead she turns back to the notebooks she has spread across the table, pulling one closer to her to reread her messy writing, absently flipping through the pages and dog-earing some for her to review later. 

“I don’t know how you read that,” a voice says above her.

Elphaba closes her eyes and groans inwardly. “With my eyes, Miss Pfannee.”

“Ooh, someone thinks they’re smart,” another voice adds.

“Considering I have solid As and you have solid Cs I would conclude, that yes, I am quite smart. Certainly smarter than you, Miss Shenshen.”

There’s a gasping sound above her as Shenshen presumably struggles to find a retort, which is a shame because Elphaba doesn’t even think her statement was particularly scathing, just honest. Instead, she turns back to her notes, trying to drown out the senseless chatter above her. When Pfannee’s hand settles on her shoulder, Elphaba’s entire being tenses, coiling tight as Pfannee’s nails dig into her shoulder, somehow still sharp through Elphaba’s thick sweater. 

“Hey, we’re talking to—”

“Is there a problem?”

Elphaba glances up to see Glinda standing behind the chair Boq had been sitting in, a steaming mug of hot chocolate in one hand and a plate of fresh chocolate chip cookies in the other, but it’s her eyes that catch Elphaba’s attention. They’re hard like she’s never seen them before, sharp and bright and practically crackling with magic. Elphaba grins at her roommate. “No problem, Glinda, we were just having a nice conversation. Weren’t we, Miss Pfannee?”

“Of course,” Pfannee agrees coolly.

Glinda tips her head slightly to the side and smiles sweetly at her former friends, but there’s not an ounce of warmth in her eyes. It sends a shiver racing up Elphaba’s spine, seeing such a cold look etched upon Glinda’s usually soft features. “Then you won’t mind if my roommate and I study for a bit,” Glinda says, sweet and dangerous.

“You’re already done your exams. You don’t need to study,” Pfannee retorts, and Elphaba can hear the sneer in her voice.

“Is that what you think?” Glinda challenges, her smile still friendly.

Pfannee scoffs. “Of course.”

Glinda’s smile takes on a hard edge and her eyes almost seem to glow. “Then perhaps that is why you failed our languages exam and I passed at the top of the class.”

Elphaba so wishes she could see the look on Pfannee’s face right now, because judging from the amusement sparkling in Glinda’s eyes it must be priceless.

“W-Well at least I don’t hang out with this— This _green freak_.”

Elphaba tips her head up lazily, catching Pfannee out of the corner of her eye; Shenshen has already slunk out of eyesight. “Don’t strain that pretty little brain of yours, Miss Pfannee. It might not recover from such an original insult.”

Pfannee seems to be once again experimenting with how many different shades of red she can make her face go. After a long, stretched out moment as she searches for a retort, she storms away, stomping out the door with Shenshen close on her heels. Elphaba waves her fingers at their retreating backs before turning to Glinda with a wide grin. Glinda’s face has already relaxed back into her usual warmth, devoid of the hard lines and sharp smiles that form when she’s around her former friends. Glinda grins back at Elphaba, rounding the table to set the mug and plate down and flop into the chair still pushed close to Elphaba’s.

“That was cold,” Elphaba comments dryly.

“They’ve had it coming for a long time now,” Glinda responds with a giggle, picking up a cookie and biting into it, humming with satisfaction.

“My hero.”

“Your knight in shining armour,” she agrees.

Elphaba plucks at the too-large sweater hanging off Glinda’s small frame. “You mean my knight in my clothing.”

Glinda shrugs unapologetically. “It’s comfortable.”

“It’s mine.”

“Boq was right. Your argumentation is poor today.”

“I’m tired.”

“Sleep more, study less late.”

“Easy for you to say, you’re all done.”

Glinda shrugs again and takes a sip of their new mug of hot chocolate. “You’ll be done tomorrow morning,” she says easily, and then her smile slips. She looks away and across the cafe, watching the snow swirl outside the window. “And then you’ll be home for Lurlinemas.”

Elphaba reaches out and stills Glinda’s fidgeting hands around the mug. “And then I’ll be back in three weeks.”

Glinda shrugs and meets her eyes. Elphaba’s shocked by the unhidden sadness there, and the affection. “It won’t be the same.”

Elphaba tightens her fingers around Glinda’s, leaning closer to the blonde girl. “You’ll have the room all to yourself. No awkward green girl spreading dust everywhere with those old books.”

Glinda gives her a wavering smile before extracting her hands from Elphaba’s and throwing her arms around the green girl. “I’m really going to miss you,” she mumbles tearfully.

“Oh come now,” Elphaba soothes, easily wrapping Glinda in her embrace, “You’ll barely notice I’m gone.” Glinda just tightens her hold on Elphaba, burying her face further into Elphaba’s shoulder. Elphaba sighs and breathes in the sweet scent of Glinda’s shampoo. “I’ll miss you too,” she finally murmurs into Glinda’s curls. Glinda lets out a watery laugh and doesn’t let go.

Eventually Glinda calms, her breathing evening out again, and she pulls back with an flush high on her cheeks. “Sorry,” she laughs, dabbing at her eyes, “I’m a mess right now.”

Elphaba keeps one hand on Glinda’s shoulder and grins. “You kind of are,” Glinda swats gently at her shoulder but Elphaba continues unhindered, “But that’s okay, at least you’re my— our mess.”

Glinda doesn’t notice Elphaba’s slip-up and just shakes her head. “That’s the problem, I don’t _want_ to be a mess.”

Elphaba shrugs and ignores the burning, prickling feeling of blood rushing to her face. “Does anybody?”

“I suppose not.”

“Exactly.” Elphaba glances around before leaning closer to Glinda, lowering her voice so only her roommate can hear. “You don’t have to be perfect all the time,” she murmurs. Glinda shifts uncomfortably. “At least not around your friends.”

“Pfannee and Shenshen and Milla always—”

“They weren’t your friends, not really.”

Glinda’s eyes shoot to Elphaba’s, a defensive retort on the tip of her tongue, until she sees the earnestness in Elphaba’s dark eyes and her defensiveness fades. She sags against Elphaba, tucking herself into the other girl’s warm side. “I hate it when you’re right,” she mutters, but her smile takes the sting out of her statement.

Elphaba tightens her arm around Glinda’s shoulders and grins. “Don’t we all?”

Glinda groans and throws her head back against Elphaba’s shoulder. “You’re ludicrous.”

“Ooh, nice word.”

“Thanks.”

“Do I get to call you Miss Walking-Thesaurus now?”

“Well, I did pass at the top of my languages class.”

“Mmm, true.”

“Do you always have to have the last word?”

“Not always.”

“Tch, sure you don’t.”

“I really don’t.”

“Right.”

“Honestly.”

 


End file.
